The Passover Lamb

April 16, 2011 by 4 Comments
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Here is another article about Easter as I promised.

by Dr. Larry Ollison

 

 

I Want To Give You Proof That Jesus Is The Passover Lamb And That His Blood Is The Blood That Sets Us Free

 

 

Jesus was set aside to be sacrificed, examined, tested, and crucified on the exact month, day, and hour that the Jews had been handling and slaughtering the lambs for over fifteen hundred years in the keeping of the feast of the Passover.

Jesus was set aside for observation and inspection five days before the sacrifice in the same way that the lamb was set aside for five days for inspection.

Let me prove it to you. In John 12:1 it says, “Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany . . .” Six days before the Passover, Jesus showed up in Bethany where Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, lived. During this time, religious leaders were trying to kill Lazarus because Jesus raised him from the dead. Jesus was at Lazarus’ home six days before the Passover.

Since the Passover was celebrated on the 14th, that means Jesus was in Bethany on the 9th. Then if you look at John 12:12-13, it says, “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ The King of Israel!”

So the next day was the 10th, which was the day of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. From that point until the 14th, Jesus was scrutinized, questioned, and interrogated to find out who He was. In fact, in Matthew 21:23-27 Jesus was questioned severely concerning His authority. In Matthew 23, they tried to trick Jesus. They tried to ask Him trick questions to get Him to say something that was wrong. But Jesus passed every single test. The scripture says He answered them perfectly. Finally, in desperation, when they couldn’t find anything wrong with the Lamb of God, they sent Him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Look at what happened there in John chapter 19. “Pilate then went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.'”

The Jews couldn’t find any fault in Jesus, so they turned Him over to the government. The government could not find any fault in Him either. The Lamb had been examined for five days and He was found without spot or blemish or fault. WOW! First Peter 1:18-19 says, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

The blood of Jesus was like the blood of an inspected sacrificial lamb. It was without blemish and without spot. Jesus was the Passover Lamb. Not only was He inspected like the Passover lamb for five days, but He was crucified and slaughtered on the same day and at the same time the Passover lambs were being sacrificed all over Jerusalem.

Jesus knew what was going on. He was not oblivious to this whole thing. In fact, in Matthew 26:2 you’ll find where He said, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.” Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He knew the exact day He was going to be crucified.

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Your Place In The Heart Of The Father

April 12, 2011 by 8 Comments
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Do You Know That The Lord Longs To Have Fellowship With You?

 

Your Place In The Heart Of The Father

by Olga Hermans

You have to know the place that you have in the Heart of the Father. If you are you hungry for God; it is a lot easier when you know that you have such a huge place in the heart of the Father. It takes away all of the unworthiness that might be there, it takes away all of the condemnation that might be there, it takes away everything that would block us from approaching Him, it takes away the bad fear out of fearing God.

I am not talking about honoring God, but I am talking about people that are just plain afraid of God. They are in a place where they don’t feel they can come boldly to the throne. Why can you come boldly to the throne? Because of your place in the heart of the Father.

If you are a parent you know this where your children are concerned. Your children have a place in our heart. Our children have a place in our heart. I gave birth to two children; they have a very special place in my heart. If this works in the natural, how much more does it work in the spiritual?

We need to have an understanding and a revelation of our place in the heart of the Father. Gen.3:7-9 says: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, “Where are you”?

God was not angry when He said that. No, He was looking for His friend. He was looking for the ones that He was communing with and having these special times with; He was looking for them and said: “where are you?”

You know what God was doing? He was longing for fellowship. Do you know that the Lord longs to have fellowship with you? He is longing for fellowship with you. Let this scripture just soak into your heart when you read it out loud to yourself!

Isa 30:18 And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!

The Lord longs for us and our response to Him should be that we long for Him so that we can experience His matchless, unbroken companionship. He longs for each and every one of us.

God created the universe for the earth. When you go outside, take some time and look up to the sky and watch the stars and realize that God created it all. God created the whole universe as a cradle for the earth, as a holding place for the earth. The universe is actually a coat for the earth that wraps it and embraces it.

And the earth was created for man. The earth was created for us and you and I were created for fellowship with God.

It is very important for you to know what God thinks about you. If you know that, you will experience that there is a very relaxed place for you when you go and fellowship with Him.

After the creation of Adam, the angels began to observe how God treats men. They asked the big question: “what is this man?” Psalm 8:4 Let’s see what the Father thinks about us; it will make it so much easier to fellowship with Him. When you know your place in the Father’s heart, it is easy to fellowship. He not only LOVES you, but He also LIKES you! He likes being with you. It feeds His heart to be around His children.

When you get up tomorrow morning, take some extra time with Him and let Him talk to you. Let Him visit with you because you are in His heart, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, it doesn’t matter your past, it doesn’t matter what kind of a track record you had; it doesn’t matter because you are in His heart. He is the eternal optimist about you.

He is saying: “You’re going to make it, you are going to fulfill everything that I have called you to do, you going to make it through this. Maybe you have been struggling with something all of your life. He is right there to help you. Some people do something over and over and over again and think that they have no right to go before the Father.

You let Him lift your head up and go back into His presence, because he will never give up on you; NEVER!!He’ll never quit!

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Self-Acceptance

April 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Have You Ever Thought About The Fact That You Had A Relationship With Yourself?

 

Self-Acceptance

by Olga Hermans

 

Last week we talked about REJECTION, remember? Now I like to ask you this question: “Do you like yourself?” Do you know that most people don’t like themselves? Isn’t that sad? Life is all about making choices as we realize more and more. But, do you know that many people need help to be whole emotionally, mentally, spiritually and socially.

Some people know it, while others don’t even have a clue that it is the very root of all the other problems in their life. Self-rejection and even self-hatred are the root causes of many relationship problems. God wants us to have great relationships. He desires to have to a very close and intimate relationship with us.

If you really look at it, you will see that the Bible is a book about relationships. Here is a great scripture that confirms what I am talking about: 1 Peter 3:11 “[Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]”.

So, the Word of God instructs us to have good relationships, but it also teaches us how to develop and maintain those relationships. This scripture tells us that we first must have peace with God. You and I must believe that He loves us and he loves us unconditionally and completely at all times; the choice is up to you and me to accept that. This is very profound and not something to take lightly. God is always the same and His love for us is always perfect.

So, that tells us that His love is always there for us…BUT..we must receive His Love. Most of the time that is a big issue for people. When we receive from God, we actually take into ourselves what He is offering. As we receive His love, that love is then in us. Wow!! When we are filled with God’s love, we might make a new start and begin to love ourselves.

And another thing that is so cool is that we can begin to give that love back to God by giving it to other people. We have to remind ourselves that we cannot give away what we don’t have. Rom.5:5

We all need to ask ourselves what we are doing with the love of God that has been freely given to us. Are we rejecting it because we don’t think we are valuable enough to be loved? Or do we maybe believe that God is like other people who have rejected and hurt us?

What kind of relationship do you have with God, with yourself and with people around you? I have never thought about the fact that I had a relationship with myself, you? It was something I had never thought about until I was exposed to some teaching about it.

I now realize that I spend more time with myself than anyone else and it is very important that I get along well with me. Somebody said once “you are one person you never get away from.

I don’t have to remind you how agonizing it is to work day after day with someone we don’t get along with, but you know what we don’t have to take that person home with us at night. But we are with us all the time, day and night. We never have one minute away from ourselves, not even one second.

Rejecting ourselves does not change us, it actually multiplies our problems. Acceptance causes us to face reality and then begin to deal with it. We cannot deal with anything as long as we are refusing to accept it or denying its reality. It should be an easy choice for us to accept ourselves as we are and grow more and more in our self-acceptance; what do you think? Did this article motivate you in any way? Please take some time to make a comment. Is there a topic that you would like me to write on; is there something that you are really interested in? Let me know and I will do my very best to write an article on it.

You can subscribe to The Daily Choice which brings an encouraging message 5 days a week to your inbox by clicking here

 

 

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Dip and Dye Eggs This Easter

April 9, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Each Egg Rep­resents A Person Who Has Been Saved And Dipped In The Blood Of Jesus Christ

 

Dip and Dye Eggs This Easter

by Rick Renner

 

 

Are you ready to celebrate Easter? Are you preparing your heart for this celebration? I was talking to my friend the other day about the impact the preparation of Easter made on me when I was a child; my mom cleaned our whole house inside out. Every child got news clothes because of this celebration.

I like to call Easter from now on “Resurrection Day”. The Lord has told me more often to move beyond all the traditional habits and acknowledge Easter for what it really is; a powerful reminder of the ultimate sacrifice and miraculous resurrection of Christ Himself.

One thing I always like to do is read messages about Easter regarding some “tradition”. Here is the 1st I chose for today. I will be posting 2 more this week, so please come back!

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.- Matt. 28:19

One year our Moscow pastoral staff had a debate over whether or not it was right or wrong to dye Easter eggs for the annual Easter celebration. In the Russian Orthodox Church, Easter eggs are a very big part of tradition. Therefore, I wanted to include Easter eggs in our church celebration in order to help those from an Orthodox background feel more comfortable in their new Protestant surroundings. My goal was for our children’s ministry to dip, dye, and decorate several thousand eggs —one for each member of the congregation—and then to publicly present them on stage to the church before giving one to every person in attendance.

Rick Renner

Because the children would be presenting the eggs on stage, I knew this special presentation would attract their unsaved parents to the service, allowing the parents to hear the Gospel for the first time. Some of the pastoral staff thought this was a great idea, but others thought it was inap­propriate to use a symbol that also had alleged ties to paganism from the past.

At the same time we were debating this question, I was preparing to preach a message about water baptism. To prepare for my message, I pulled out my Greek New Testament, opened it to Matthew 28:19, and began to look at the Greek word for “baptism.” I honestly thought, What new revelation could I possibly learn about the word “baptism” after studying it for so many years? But I’ll open all my books and give it a shot to see if there’s anything about this word I’ve never seen before.

Wow! Was I ever shocked at what I discovered that day! After all those years of studying, I saw something I had never seen before about baptidzo, the Greek word for “baptism.” I saw that this word baptidzo originally meant to dip and to dye. For instance, in very early cases, baptidzo described the process of dipping a cloth or garment into a vat of color to dye it; leaving it there long enough for the material to soak up the new color; and then pulling that garment out of the dye with a permanently changed outward appearance. When I saw this, I just about leaped out of my chair with excitement!

In Second Corinthians 5:17, Paul wrote, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new crea­ture: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” A person who comes to Jesus Christ can be likened to an old garment that needs to be dipped into a vat of dye so its color can be changed. However, the person isn’t dipped into a vat of colored dye, but into the precious blood of the Lamb! This person is so totally transformed by Jesus’ blood that he becomes a new creature. His countenance is so changed that he even looks different. You could say that this new believer has been “dipped and dyed!”

What a new light this shed on baptism! Paul wrote, “Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Water baptism is a symbolic proclamation of the fact that believers have been buried with Christ and raised with Him. When a believer is placed in the baptismal waters, it symbolizes being immersed in one condition and coming out looking brand new. In other words, it is a picture of what happened to that person when he got saved! This out­ward symbol represents the fact that he has been dipped in the blood of the Lamb, and now his entire life has been newly colored and transformed to be like Jesus!

When I saw this meaning in the word baptidzo, I told my pastoral staff, “This year we’re going to let the children dye Easter eggs. Then we’re going to use this as a teaching tool to show them what happens when a person is born again!” I instructed the teachers to tell the children that each egg rep­resented a person who has been saved and dipped in the blood of Jesus Christ—newly colored, transformed, and changed forever.

The time came for the children to dye and decorate those eggs. As they dipped those eggs, they imagined that they were baptizing people who were newly saved. It turned out to be quite a hallelujah time! Each Easter egg became a declaration to those children that several thousand new people would soon be saved and water baptized!

Aren’t you thankful that Jesus totally transformed your life? Don’t you see things differently from the way you used to see them? Hasn’t your entire outlook on life been altered? In a certain sense, couldn’t you say that there is new light and color since Jesus came into your life? Just go ahead and rejoice in the fact that you have been dipped and dyed in the blood of Jesus and that you’ll never be the same again!

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Overcoming Rejection

April 8, 2011 by 4 Comments
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But you are the ones chosen by God ... from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. 1Pe 2:9-10

Everybody, I talk to, black or white, suburban, rich or poor can relate to rejection. Derek Luke

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt

It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord you are safe. Proverbs 29:25

Why do you fear rejection?

Have you ever felt rejection?

Rejection is a very difficult thing for us to walk though, it is very hurtful and it wounds us deeply. [Read more…]

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This is The Good Life

April 6, 2011 by 1 Comment
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This morning we received our partner letter from Kenneth and Gloria Copeland in the mail. I HAD to post it because I absolutely loved it plus it is the very core of this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. This is what it is all about. Go and enjoy your reading ==>>

Dear Partner,

Today, I want us to look into the God-given right to choose our own destiny. God will not impose or in any way force Himself on anyone. The devil does. God does not. That is what is unique about man. God has given every man a free will to choose. Let’s look first at Deuteronomy 30:19-20:

19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20  That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Notice how many times you (thou) is mentioned in that scripture: 10 times, plus once it is the understood subject. God made His choice and acted on it. He set before YOU life and death. Blessing and cursing. Now! YOU choose.

In preparing a message along these lines, I heard the Lord say, “Every choice one makes falls under either THE BLESSING or the curse. There is no in between and every choice has a consequence. To choose God’s WORD as first place or highest authority is to choose life. His WORD is life to those who find it – or to those who choose it. To agree with feelings when they “feel” bad is to choose the curse as final authority. The results are always the same. The consequences of choosing The WORD are so “that both thou and thy seed may live.” To choose The WORD of God is to choose God and He is your life.

Now, think it through. I choose The WORD and consider not my own body (feelings, circumstances, bad news, etc.).

Faith, then, cometh by hearing and hearing by The WORD of God. Faith is the first reaction or consequence of choosing The WORD. Faith-filled words and love-filled faith remove the curse, and healing is the result. On the other hand, to side with or choose the feeling, pain, circumstance, etc. as “the truth” is to produce and enforce fear, which makes one subject to bondage (Hebrews 2:14-15). Can you see the dividing line here? The WORD, life, healing and deliverance are all under THE BLESSING.
Sickness, doubt, fear, lack and pain are all under the curse. Now in the light of that, let’s see what Jesus said in John 10:10:

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The thief (the devil) comes to steal – that’s under the curse. To kill is under the curse. To destroy, that’s also under the curse. He never, according to Jesus, comes for any other reason. He can’t. He’s cursed. On the other hand. Jesus has come as High Priest of THE BLESSING so that we might have life and have it MORE abundantly. So, choose Jesus! He is our life and the length of our days!
Every choice in our life, every day, comes under THE BLESSING or the curse.

Now, look at Galatians 3:9 and 13-14:

9  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ;
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Jesus bore the curse. He defeated it. He took its power away so when we choose Him as Lord and Savior, the curse cannot overpower us. On the contrary. He has given us not only the right to choose, but the power to enforce our choice. His authority, His name, His full armor, the power of His Spirit, THE BLESSING of Abraham – are ours!

To choose Jesus is the choose life. He became poor – part of the curse – so we could become rich, part of THE BLESSING. He bore our sins – the curse – so we could become rich, part of the THE BLESSING. He bore our sins – the curse so we could be made righteousness of God. He went to hell – the curse – so we could come   boldly to the throne of GRACE – THE BLESSING.

The “great exchange” was the Cross. Jesus did not go to the cross so He could become a king. He went to the Cross so we could become kings. That’s the gospel.

Look at Galatians 3:8:

8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Look at every choice of life. Where does it fall? Under THE BLESSING or under the curse? Do I choose to hear what the world’s system says, or what The WORD says; what the banker says, or what Philippians 4:19 says; what the doctor says, or what 1 Peter 2:24 says? Do I follow Jesus and life, or what religion and tradition say?

As for me and my house, we will follow Jesus. He is our life and the length of our days. We choose faith. We choose heaven. Our future is bright! Hope is strong. Faith is strong, giving Glory to God. Love is strong, and LOVE NEVER FAILS!

We, our house, have chosen to tithe. We have chosen to give. We have chosen to preach The WORD in season and out. We are not just believers, we are disciples. Our business is not the first place. The government is not our supply. Our own self-interest and pursuits are not our reason for living. We seek first the kingdom of God. We build the kingdom. We live the kingdom. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will (plan, program, WORD, BLESSING) be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Therefore, things are no problem. They are added to us. Supply is no problem. He gives us all things richly to enjoy. We, therefore, hold forth The WORD of Life in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Jesus’ plans, pursuits and purpose are our plans, pursuits and purpose. His ways are our ways. He is our Source – our only Source. In Him, who loved us and gave His life for us, we have our lives and through Him we live.

Gloria and I love you and pray for you every day.

Love, Ken

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Choose Life

April 5, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Every Time I Choose To Obey God In My Spirit When He Tells Me To Do Something, I Choose Life

 

Choose Life

by Olga Hermans

We have a decision to make, just as Israel had to do that; life or death, blessing or cursing. Cursing was automatic for them if they didn’t hearken to God; blessings were inevitable if they did hear and obey.

The same is true for us today. We must choose whether or not we will hearken to God’s Word. If we hearken to God regarding the new birth, then we are born again. If e hearken to God and do what He says about healing, then healing takes place in our lives. If we hearken to His Word regarding prosperity, then we begin to prosper.

In every area, if we will just obey God and walk in His light, we will automatically increase in Is life and blessings. I don’t know about you, but I choose life. Every time I choose to obey God in my spirit when He tells me to do something, I choose life.

How do you choose life? You just have to decide, “I’m staying with the Word of God. As I hear and obey what God says, I believe it is unavoidable and predetermined that God’s blessings will overtake me. I will have the things I need. In fact, I’ll even have a surplus of prosperity. It is inevitable. It shall come to pass!”

Then determine never to quit. Don’t let yourself think, Well, that will never work for me, or they prayed for me, but I didn’t get healed.

When you make a choice to walk by faith and not by sight, you can never quit. We must not reach this great moment in the history of the Church, only to draw back in fear! No, this is the time to double up, not give up!

So, we choose to prove ourselves to be faithful when we go through the hard places. We honor God with our mouth and we keep putting the Word into our hearts so we will be able to accomplish all that God has placed in our heart to do.

The key to our deliverance is to hearken unto God. It was the same key for the deliverance of Israel. We hold the same key. As we hear and do the Word of God, certain victory and days of heaven on earth will be ours.

God is trying His best to get something over to His people. He knows that our lives depend on it. So, over and over, He keeps saying the same thing in different ways.

You just can’t choose God without choosing His ways. It is the choosing of His ways that make life a blessing on this earth. When you don’t choose God’s ways, you are actually choosing darkness, defeat, lack, sickness – the entire curse of the law.

God wants to prosper you, so He won’t give you something that will hurt you. He has to have your heart before He can give you wealth.

You see, you can’t stay out of the will of God and still prosper. You may make money, but you can’t prosper. There are wicked people in this world who are rich, but they aren’t prospering. Often the more money they make, the quicker they die. Why? Because they buy all the drugs and immorality they want until they finally kill themselves!

Even if those who are rich live long lives, they have no peace without God. And living a long life with a lot of money but no peace is not God’s idea of prosperity.

So, God will prove you to see what you will do with His Word in the circumstances of life. He wants to know whether or not He will remain in first place in our life after he has blessed you with material increase.

That’s why you have to stay sharp spiritually, stay in the Word and walk circumspectly before God. Every time you pass a test, you qualify for increase!

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7 Keys To Improving Your Communication Skills

April 4, 2011 by 3 Comments
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Communication Is Listening And Understanding What The Other Person Is Trying To Express With Accurate Empathy

 

7 Keys To Improving Your Communication Skills

by Olga Hermans

 

Good communication is a choice that you make; you have to engage your will to want it. It involves talking, listening, understanding and taking action. Communication breakdown is the number one problem in marriage. It’s the number one cause of separation and divorce. A lot of people don’t realize it, but they relate their problems to some other area. But if your communication is proper and you have an ability to share openly, you can solve financial problems, physical problems and children problems. Lack of communication can cause conflict.

Let’s have a look at these 7 keys and learn what to and what not do.

1.   Make a decision to improve communication; it’s a choice.
Just as loving your mate is a decision, not an emotion or a feeling, so you must make a decision that you want to improve your communication skills.

2.   Establish a quality time to share and communicate with your mate and family.
Indicate a time on your calendar for your mate and your children if you’re extremely busy. It’s more important than all the ball games, sporting events, recreational activities and all the other things that you will do.

God will deal with you that you need to make appointments with your spouse. As a husband and wife, you need to make plans concerning your children – their education, vacation – and the time that you will be alone with each other and them in a family setting. When you begin to pull away together, you will be able to eliminate a lot of frustrating situations by planning those things that were important.

It is important that you share some goals and dreams; what are the goals that you have for your family? Where will you be at the end of that particular year in your lives spiritually? Where do you want to be in five years from now?

It is important that your sharing time not to be a distressing time. In other words, is if you both work downtown and you just have come through the five o’clock rush hour and haven’t eaten yet, that’s no time to communicate on something you have different opinions about.

What’s the principle that businessmen use when they’re going to make a deal or talk with someone about a problem? They take them out to lunch or dinner and after they’ve eaten and are full and happy, they talk about the situation.

I think a lot of arguments are started when people are in stress situations. They try to resolve a problem in a few minutes when they only have a shot time, or when they’re not feeling right. It would be much better just to put it off until they is time to discuss it in a relaxing atmosphere.

TV is probably the greatest enemy of communication. When I was growing up, we used to bow down and worship the god of TV, offering the evening sacrifice of ten eyes for about three hours. After we had worshiped, then the god of television would impart to us his spirit and we would go to sleep with that spirit. Then the next day we would go out and walk in the light of that which we had received! How many people follow this pattern today?

3. Take an interest in what the other person is doing.
The best communicators are the ones who show an interest in the other person. The opposite of this is selfishness. It’s not hard to listen to someone if you take an active interest in what they are doing.

Jesus came to our level to lift us to His level. The same principle applies in communication. When you come to the level where people are to communicate with them, you will be able to move into levels where they can communicate with you and receive what you’re saying.

4. Be willing to admit that you’ve been wrong.
What’s the root problem of not being able to admit that you’ve been wrong? Pride. Here is an example: “It couldn’t possibly have been my fault! It was my fault, it was only two percent my fault and 98 percent yours!”

When there is unwillingness to admit wrong, then there is going to be a communication breakdown. But when there is a willingness to say, “I made a mistake, I misunderstood, I misinterpreted, I sad the wrong thing, I had the wrong attitude,” healing is released.

James 4:6 says, …”God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” In family and marriage relationships, when someone refuses to admit wrong, you naturally resists them. There is a wall that is automatically built

5. Be willing to accept constructive criticism.
Defensiveness will stop the flow of communication.

6. Avoid cutting and belittling remarks.
I’ve heard it said, “laughter at the expense of another person is the lowest form of humor.” The truth is, it’s really not humor at all. Husbands and wives destroy their marriages from the inside out when they make “cute remarks” that cut or belittle their mate or children. Cute little remarks which cut another person fit into the category of corrupt communication and it grieves the Holy Spirit.

7. Be sure that outside obligations aren’t robbing you of time with your mate and family.
Civic and community involvements can come between you and your family. Choose activities that can involve each family member.

Sometimes parents will sacrifice their time together to have time with the children, but you not only need to have time individually with the children, you need time alone with one another as husband and wife.

 

Communication specialists indicate that when you talk with another person, there are actually six messages that can come through a result of your communication:

(1) What you mean to say.
(2) What you actually say.
(3) What the other person heard you say.
(4) What the other person thinks they heard you say.
(5) What the other person says about what you said.
(6) What the other person said about what you said.

Communication is so important. It’s the bridge that brings different people together. Frustration usually ends where communication begins.

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The Pauline Prayers

April 3, 2011 by 1 Comment
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The following prayers which are also known as the “Pauline Prayers”  are taken from the Amplified Bible.

 

Romans 1:8
First we thank You, Father, through Jesus Christ for all of these for whom we pray.

Philippians 1:2-6
Grace, favor and blessing and heart peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ we speak to each one of these precious ones we are standing in the gap for. We thank God as we remember them in prayer. In every prayer we pray, and every entreaty and petition we make for them is with joy and delight.

We thank You, Lord, for their fellowship—cooperation and contributions and partnership—in advancing the Gospel. And we are convinced and sure of this very thing, that You, Lord, who began a good work in them will continue until the day of Jesus Christ right up to the time of His return, developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in Christ.

Philippians 4:6-7
We do not fret nor have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in every prayer and petition we continue with thanksgiving to make our wants known unto You, God. Father, we pray for peace for these, that tranquil state of soul assured of its salvation in Christ, that peace which transcends all understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:12-14
We give You thanks, Heavenly Father, Who has qualified and made us all fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints of light. Thank You, Father, for delivering us and drawing us out of the control and the dominion of darkness and transferring us into the kingdom of the Son of Your love. In whom we all have our redemption through His blood, which means the forgiveness of our sins.

Colossians 4:12
We who are servants of Christ Jesus, will always strive earnestly for these in our prayers, pleading their case that they may, as persons of ripe character and clear conviction stand firm and mature (in spiritual growth), convinced and fully assured in everything willed by God.

Ephesians 1:5-23
For this reason because we have heard of these and the faith they have in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints, We do not cease to give thanks for them, making mention of them in our prayers. Heavenly Father, we pray that You would grant unto us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, of insight into mysteries and secrets, in the deep and intimate knowledge of Christ.

Flood the eyes of our heart with light, so that we can know and understand the hope to which You have called us and how rich is the glorious inheritance that You have in us. And so that we will know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of Your power in and for us who believe as demonstrated in the working of Your mighty strength, which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and seated him at Your own right hand in the heavenly places.

1 Thessalonians 5:17, 23
We pray without ceasing that the very God of peace would sanctify us through and through, that is separate us from profane things, make us pure and wholly consecrated to You, God and may our whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Ephesians 3:12, 14-21
In Christ, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness, courage and confidence of free access, an unreserved approach to You, Father God, with freedom and without fear. For this reason (seeing the greatness of Your plan by which we are built together in Christ), we bow our knees before You, heavenly Father. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.

That, Father God, You would grant these for whom we pray out of the rich treasury of Your glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in their inner man by the Holy Spirit Himself. May Christ through our faith actually dwell, settle down, abide, make His permanent home in our hearts! May we be rooted in love and founded securely on love.

That we may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints of God, the experience of that love what is the breadth and length and height and depth of it. That we will really come to know, practically, through experience for themselves the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge without experience; that we may be filled through all our being unto all the fullness of God that is, may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.

Now unto You, Father Who is able to carry out Your purpose and do superabundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams according to the power that works in us.

Philippians 1:8-11
For God is our witness how we long for and pursue these with love, in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus Himself! And this we pray, that our love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight, that is, that our love may display itself in greater depths of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment; So that we may surely learn to sense what is vital and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value, recognizing the highest and best, and distinguishing the moral differences; and that we may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless, that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied we may approach the day of Christ, not stumbling nor causing others to stumble.

May we abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, to the honor and praise of God that His glory may be both manifested and recognized.

Colossians 1:3, 9-11
We continually give thanks to You, God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah, as we are interceding for these. We will not cease to pray and make special request for us, asking that we may be filled with the full deep and clear knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom (that is, in the comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things; That we may walk and live and conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to You, Lord, and desiring to please You, Lord, in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God—with fuller, deeper and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition.

We pray that we may be invigorated and strengthened with all power, according to the might of Your glory, so that we may exercise every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance with joy).

2 Thessalonians 3:1
Finally, we pray that the word of the Lord may have free course (speed on, spread rapidly and run its course) and be glorified, extolled and triumph in the lives of each and every one that we have named (and not named) this day before Your throne! In the Name of Jesus. Amen and so be it.

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The Floodgates Of Heaven

April 1, 2011 by 5 Comments
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The Blessing Will Lift Us Up Above Oour Circumstances In A Way That Our Circumstances Are Covered With The Blessing.

 

The Floodgates Of Heaven

Olga Hermans

There is no reason for you and I to be broke even in a difficult time of finances, because we operate in a different Kingdom; aren’t you glad? I am thrilled, because I know that we operate in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Hereare 2 words with the same meaning; it will bless you when you receive them for what they stand.

Once we are born again, we are translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of light. And if we give God time and attention, we come into that light and He will show us how to live without sickness, without disease and without poverty, without any other curse.

You don’t have to be under any of the curses if you made Jesus the Lord of your life, why? Because the scripture says that He bore the curse for us.

SEEK FIRST the Kingdom of God; SEEK is big and FIRST is big; go after Him before you go after anything else. Go first after the Kingdom of God means that you go after the things the way God does things.

Tithing is a something that God requires from us, isn’t it? My husband and I love to tithe; every time when money comes into the bank, we rejoice because we are able to tithe. To us tithing is really an insurance policy where all of our money is concerned; our money is protected, it cannot be drained and it cannot be stolen.
Mal 3:10  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. When the floodgates of heaven open; it is uncontainable.

We have just seen with the tsunami in Japan; water flushes everything away, it washes out houses, big boats until nothing is  left over. That is how powerful water can be. There is a great connection between the blessing and a flood. When it says “opening the windows of heaven”, we should picture ourselves standing under these open windows of heaven, this blessing is overtaking us. Let’s have a look at this picture; this might surprise you and bless you especially if you choose to believe it 🙂

Gen 7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. The word “windows” in Gen 7:11 is the same word as in Mal.3:10 and both words mean “floodgates”. That is revelation knowledge to us!

The water covered every mountain; that is a lot of flood. You see water lifts everything to the top. You have seen that with the tsunami, right? Here is the connection; the blessing lifts us above the earth. It lifts us above the economy. Gen 7:17-20 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

I learned and I chose to believe that this is a picture of the results of the tithe. If we would replace the word “water” with the “blessing”, because what comes out of heaven for the thither? The blessing! From the floodgate and the windows of heaven the blessing comes upon us.

It reads like this: Gen.7:17-20 And the “blessing” (which in the Hebrew means: the abundant, liberal, excessive prosperity of God) was forty days upon the earth; and the “blessing” increased, and lifted up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the “blessing” prevailed, and was increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the blessing. And the “blessing” prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered with the “blessing”. Fifteen cubits upward did the  “blessing” prevail; and the mountains were covered with the “blessing”.

Our tithe unlocks the floodgates of heaven and the Lord says: “prove me now herewith” if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

This is awesome, don’t you think so? This is a truth that you and I should have deep in our heart. The blessing will lift us up above our circumstances in a way that our circumstances are covered with the Blessing. Well, we are always  blessed, but when we tithe, the blessing will come pouring into our life out of heaven that we don’t have room to contain it. That is what I want; what about you?

What has tithing done for you? Can you remember when you started tithing and what a difference it made in your life?

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